1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer networks, data accessing and processing systems. More specifically the present invention relates to a system of computers linked into a neural network which continuously scans and gathers information from, understands, and interacts with, an environment. The system further consolidates its resources to automatically optimize certain parameters in real time, such as to minimize cost, to shunt functions from computers within the network operating at or near capacity and thus having smaller buffers to other computers having larger buffers to maximize efficiency, and to continuously test and optimize selections offered to a human user. This inventive system has applications in securities trading, in telecommunications call routing and in billing.
The system generally includes a hierarchy of individual computers interlinked to form a single unit known as a hive, some of which are dedicated to performing certain tasks while others provide processing power and still others at the peak of the command hierarchy synchronize and delegate tasks among the various interlinked computers with continuous automatic reevaluation and redirection in real time. The real time interlinking of the computers making up the hive permits execution of strategies pre-set by the user and also permits user updating and changing of the strategies as new information becomes available. The intelligent components of the parent or command computers, which are intelligent data warehouses, interrelate. The synergistic interlinking of these several computers multiplies processing power to a level many times greater than that of a single computer running a particular program, such as an investment program for on-line trading. This system is accessible either through terminals within a business such as a utility or through the internet by subscribers such as through a brokerage house.
Where the system is applied to investing, the computer hive includes individual computers which supply a continuous, real time feed from the stock exchange floor, other individual computers which perform what is known as data mining, gathering information from numerous sources about particular companies whose stock is publicly traded, and still others which process this disorganized and voluminous raw data into rapidly comprehensible indicia for human monitoring and evaluation. Other individual computers may be included which provide live interaction with a broker employed by the brokerage house who provides general advice and legally necessary authorization to the user for trades for a pre-established length of time within pre-agreed cost variation parameters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have for some time been individual computers loaded with programs for executing stock trades while on-line and for routing telephone calls and generate billing for telephone and electrical utilities, which rely upon the processing power and data within the single computer. A problem with these single computer applications has been that more processing power and data access capability are needed, together with web and virtual world access.
What is further needed is a system which integrates data flow between production and management by permanently scanning the environment and converting the information into data mining, trending or statistical reports on system integrity. Such a system should provide improved resource logistics, real time data mining, trending and usage analysis.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a computer network system which continuously optimizes certain parameters, such as to achieve cost minimization.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a network system which is better than e-trading because it eliminates the fifteen second wait.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a network system which can provide on-line trading access and gather and process data about companies through a live virtual world server without need for costly software or for the ordinary live feed with a high subscription cost.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a network system which provides visual access to a trading house broker for advice and for required trading authorization to the user, the broker being denied information about commissions on individual stocks to prevent churning and thus make trading friendly to the small investor.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a network system which incorporates old technology and converts it into common form, so that existing equipment is not wasted and the cost of updating is minimized.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a network system which provides such trading information and real time trading ability at a nominal cost to the end user, due to advertising revenues, and thus which makes available to everyone what has until now been available only to large companies.